Troop 33 celebrates new Eagle Scouts

Los Altos Boy Scout Troop 33 has awarded the rank of Eagle, the highest award in Scouting, to a total of 231 members since its founding in 1951.

To earn the rank of Eagle, a Scout must plan, develop and lead a team in a service project that benefits a religious institution, school or community.

The troop recently honored its five newest Eagle Scouts:

• William Bassett, a sophomore at Los Altos High School, constructed a garden shed at Egan Junior High School to earn his Eagle rank.

• Nathan Desai, a junior at Monta Vista High in Cupertino, created instruction videos to teach basic English to orphans in India so that the children could make use of computers donated by Home of Hope, a Hillsborough-based charity.

• Aaron Frankel, a senior at Homestead High in Sunnyvale, built benches and an outdoor stage at Gardner Bullis School in Los Altos Hills.

• McGregor Stadtmiller, a senior at the German International School of Silicon Valley in Mountain View, converted planter boxes surrounding heritage trees at Springer School into seating benches for students to use at lunchtime.

• Nathaniel Wipfler, a sophomore at Homestead High, constructed a garden path at Riley’s Place, a nonprofit organization that uses the comforting power of animals to help children facing challenges.

The Scouts recently received formal recognition at an Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony at Los Altos United Methodist Church. Scoutmaster Brent Browning and keynote speaker Joe Simitian, Santa Clara County Supervisor, welcomed the new Eagle Scouts to the ranks.